


The Boy Who Lived

by ididitmyway



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Gender Dysphoria, Trans Male Character, two trans male characters actually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 21:12:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6582607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ididitmyway/pseuds/ididitmyway
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know that the definition used in this fic for what transgender is is not exactly correct, especially since I'm trans myself, I just thought it fit best considering how the magic in this fic works.</p>
<p>Many, many thanks to my wonderful partner (tereszi on tumblr) for coming up with the whole trans magic idea and for letting me use it for the purposes of this fic. Also, for helping me write this in general.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for reading!!! This is the first fic I've ever written and I'm very excited!! You can find me at franksocrates on tumblr!</p></blockquote>





	The Boy Who Lived

    On July 31, 1980, Lily and James Potter became the proud parents of a son named Harry. They loved him with all their hearts, even after they died. Lily’s love was so strong that it kept Harry alive while her killer, Voldemort, was badly harmed from the rebound of the curse he cast – the curse that was aimed at Harry. Unfortunately, there was hardly any time to grieve for Lily and James’ deaths. Harry had to be taken elsewhere, and quickly. He was transported to No. 4, Privet Drive, where he was left on the doorstep for the Dursleys to find in the morning.

     Meanwhile, the entire wizarding world was buzzing with the news that Lord Voldemort had been defeated by an infant named Harry Potter. They called him the Boy Who Lived.

 

     Harry Potter grew up under the care of Petunia and Vernon Dursley, along with his cousin Dudley. The Dursleys, it should be known, are horrible. Dudley got all the positive attention and was completely spoiled, while Harry was sneered at and hated for no reason at all. Harry never even got his own clothes, as Aunt Petunia just gave him Dudley’s old things.

     When Harry was nine, he came to a startling realization: he didn’t have the parts that boys were supposed to have, according to his teacher. When Harry asked Aunt Petunia why he was missing the parts boys were supposed to have, she gave him a sharp look and asked what on Earth he meant. He said, “Well, I learned in class today that boys have their parts and girls have their parts, and I think I have girl parts.”

     Aunt Petunia snapped, “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re a _boy_.”

 

     He is twelve years old, and Harry knows there’s something wrong with him.

     He went to the bathroom during lunch and almost screamed his head off. He ran to the Hospital Wing and Madame Pomfrey immediately asked him what happened this time while getting him a chair.

     Harry swallowed several times before speaking. “I went to the bathroom and-and when I was done there was…” Harry didn’t think he could say it. “There was…blood.”

     Madame Pomfrey’s eyebrows knit together. “Was it there before you went?” Harry quickly shook his head. His hands were shaking. Madame Pomfrey looked at him for a minute before placing a hand on his shoulder, telling him to stay put before turning around and walking away at her usual brisk pace.

    _There must be something horribly wrong with me,_ Harry thought. _Voldemort couldn’t kill me when I was born, yet a disease will kill me now. I wonder how long I have to live._

     As Harry was planning how he would tell Ron and Hermione about the fatal disease he was sure he had, Madame Pomfrey returned with a plain white box in her hands. The box was short, and about the size of her palm. Harry anxiously twisted his robes in his hands. “What’s that?”

     Madame Pomfrey opened the box and took out something square-shaped that was wrapped in a white plastic covering. She handed the box to Harry. “These, Mr. Potter, are called sanitary napkins. However, they are colloquially known as pads.”

     Harry saw a lot of them in the box, and carefully picked one out using two fingers. It was a bit squishy, but stiff. “What do you do with them?”

     “You stick them on the inside of your underpants and they soak up the blood like a sponge,” Madame Pomfrey opened the wrapping on the pad she was holding before unfolding it. She peeled the wrapping off the back and showed him. “You change them as often as is necessary for you, but I would recommend every couple of hours while you figure out what works best.”

     Harry stares at her for a few seconds while he processes this information. “So…I’m not dying?”

     “No, Mr. Potter, you are not dying.” Madame Pomfrey procures a chair for herself and sits across from him. “I will now explain to you what exactly is happening with your body, and I’ll let Professor McGonagall know why you missed your next lesson so you don’t get any points deducted.”

     Harry has never been so confused in all his life.

 

     Harry is thirteen, and he and Professor Lupin are in the middle of an especially hard Patronus lesson. The reason for its difficulty was that Harry couldn’t focus enough to keep a strong memory in his mind. His thoughts keep drifting back to his body and all its changes. Harry knows for a fact that none of the people he shares his dormitory with are going through the same changes he is. Madame Pomfrey told him to expect these changes so he didn’t pay them much attention. When his chest began changing, he didn’t notice anything different at first so he didn’t pay it any mind. Until a couple of weeks ago, when his shirts starting fitting differently and he started to get an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. The feeling spread up to his chest and stayed there until he couldn’t look at himself in the mirror without feeling it.

     “It’s easy to tell when someone isn’t focused, you know,” Professor Lupin said, startling Harry out of his thoughts. “Particularly when that someone is trying to conjure a Patronus. Is there a particular aspect with which you’re having trouble?”

     Harry shook his head, feeling annoyed that he was wasting time because of these thoughts. “No, Professor.”

     Professor Lupin looked at Harry. “Are you sure?”

     Harry looked at the floor for a few moments before speaking. “I don’t know. There’s been a lot going on with me and I don’t understand it.”

     Professor Lupin took a seat in a nearby chair. “Why don’t you try and tell me what’s wrong, and maybe we can talk through it?”

     Harry sits in the chair opposite him. He tugs on the hem of his shirt before speaking. “I’ve been having thoughts that make me feel terrible, and they’re happening because- a lot of things are changing and I don’t understand them and I don’t know how to make them stop happening.”

     Professor Lupin speaks carefully. “What sort of things?”

     “It’s…” Harry sighs. “My body. Things are changing and appearing and they make me feel awful but I can’t understand why. I just want them to stop so I can actually look at myself in the mirror and stop worrying about whether or not people are noticing the changes.” Harry twists a few fingers into his robes as he waits for Professor Lupin to say something. After several long seconds, he cracks. “Professor, do you know what’s happening to me?”

     Professor Lupin looks at Harry before speaking. “What you’re experiencing sounds like gender dysphoria, Harry.”

     Harry thought about that for a couple seconds. “Is there any way to make it go away?”

     “Not technically, although it’s different for each person that experiences it.”

     “Does everyone go through this?”

     Professor Lupin gives him a little smile. “No, Harry, although it might help to know that plenty of others do.”

     “Who experiences it?”

     “People who are transgender, which means that they do not identify with their biological sex.” Lupin pauses before continuing. “There’s a type of magic that exists for people who are wizards. It cannot be seen or conjured at will, but only occurs when a transgender child is born. It affects everything so that nobody genders them incorrectly in any way, regardless of their biological sex.”

     Harry thinks. “Is that why, even though these changes are happening to me, everyone believes I’m a boy?”

     “Precisely.”

     “Is there any way that I can stop the changes or reverse them?”

     “There are ways to stop them, but not to reverse them unfortunately.”

     “Have people done those things to stop them?”

     “Yes. I have, actually.”

     Harry stares at Professor Lupin for a moment. He can’t believe it. “Really?”

     Professor Lupin smiles at him. “Yes, I have.”

     “Can you- can you tell me about it?”

     “Of course I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know that the definition used in this fic for what transgender is is not exactly correct, especially since I'm trans myself, I just thought it fit best considering how the magic in this fic works.
> 
> Many, many thanks to my wonderful partner (tereszi on tumblr) for coming up with the whole trans magic idea and for letting me use it for the purposes of this fic. Also, for helping me write this in general.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!!! This is the first fic I've ever written and I'm very excited!! You can find me at franksocrates on tumblr!


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